The ball from which the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona scored the goal of “God’s hand” in the 1986 World Cup quarter -finals against England, at a value of two million pounds (2. 4 million dollars), at a public auction in London on Wednesday.
It was expected that the white Adidas Ball “Azteca”, which was owned by the referee of the Tunisian match, Ali Bin Nasser, was expected to be sold at 3 million pounds ($ 3.
6 million) when it was offered at the “Graham Bad” auction in the United Kingdom.
This comes six months after the sale of the shirt that Maradona wore in the same match by about $ 9. 3 million – that is, more than twice the value that Sotheby’s House expected at the time.
The ball – inspired by architecture and murals of the Aztec civilization – was used for a full 90 minutes of the match that was held in Mexico City in 1986, years before the start of the system of using several balls in the match.
The confrontation witnessed a sharp escalation due to the political tensions that followed the Falkland War in 1982, in which the two most famous goals were scored in the history of the World Cup: one notorious and the other is the summit of splendor at the famous “Estika” stadium.
The first came in the 51st minute when the English player Steve Hodge intercepted a ball on the outskirts of the England penalty area and tried to return it towards his goalkeeper Peter Shelton, and Maradona ran towards it inside the area and rose to follow up with his head the moment the guard left, but he used his hand to open the registration.
England players protested with the Tunisian match referee, but he did not care about them and calculated the goal.
The Argentine raised the controversy after that by saying that the goal was scored: a little Maradona and a little bit in the hands of God.
Four minutes later, Maradona was hit again and there was no doubt this time.
The player, who died at the age of 60 due to the heart insufficiency in 2020, received the ball in the middle of the field and manipulated four English defenders, before Sellon crossed and hit the goal that was chosen “the goal of the century” in an opinion poll conducted by the International Football Association (FIFA) in 2002.
Argentina won 2-1 before it passed and achieved its second and last world title against Germany in the final.
When announcing that the ball will be launched at the auction last month, Bin Nasser said: This ball is part of the history of global football, it seems that it is the right time to share with the world.
He also defended his decision not to cancel Maradona’s goal: I could not see the shot clearly. I saw the players, Shelton and Maradona, from behind.
According to the FIFA instructions issued before the tournament, I looked at the referee to ensure the authenticity of the goal – he returned to the midfield, indicating his conviction that the goal should be counted.
He continued: At the end of the match, England coach Bobby Robson told me: You did a good job, but the referee was not responsible.
The shirt that was sold at the auction last May will be shown in Qatar during the World Cup 2022, which kicks off Sunday..
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